How to Store and Organize Plus-Plus Blocks by Color

Quick answer

Sort Plus-Plus pieces into a small number of color families, not dozens of single-color piles. Start with clear bins or tubes for the colors you use most, label them simply, and keep one open tray for pieces in progress. This makes clean-up fast and keeps building open-ended because kids can see and reach every color.

Choose a color system that matches how you build

The goal is not a perfect rainbow. Group colors the way your household actually builds: warm colors, cool colors, neutrals, and a small bin for specialty pieces. This keeps the number of containers low enough that clean-up does not become a chore. If you build from printed instructions, keep the colors used most in a shallow tray so you can grab them without digging. If your building is mostly open-ended, a few broad color bins work better than a wall of tiny jars.

Clear containers matter more than fancy ones. You want to see the color through the side, and you want a shape that lets small hands scoop pieces out. Shallow is better than deep for daily use because pieces stay visible instead of sinking to the bottom.

Set up the bins before you sort a single piece

Empty the whole collection onto a tray or mat first, then place your empty bins in a row. Sorting into bins that are already labeled and positioned prevents the common mistake of making temporary piles that never get put away. Keep a small cup nearby for stray pieces that do not belong to a color group, such as specialty or mixed pieces.

If you are sorting a large collection, work in batches of a few hundred pieces. Sorting everything at once leads to fatigue and half-finished piles. A timer for 10 to 15 minutes per batch keeps the job manageable and gives you a clear stopping point.

Use tubes and bundles as ready-made storage

Plus-Plus tubes are already shaped for storage, so you do not need to empty every one into a bin. A tube can stay as a single-color or single-project container, which makes it easy to grab and take to the table. Bundles often arrive with a mix of pieces and guided builds, so treat the bundle box as a starter kit: keep the instructions with the pieces, then move the loose pieces into your color bins once the first build is done.

The Container Ship Tube is a good example of a set that doubles as storage. Its 70 pieces can stay in the tube between builds, and the included instructions can live in a small bag taped inside the lid. That way the set stays complete and ready for the next session without taking up shelf space.

Label for speed, not for looks

Write the color name on painter's tape or a removable label, and put it on the front of the bin, not the lid. Lids get swapped, and a label on the lid becomes useless. If you have readers in the house, words work fine. For younger kids, a single colored dot or a piece glued to the outside of the bin is faster than reading.

Avoid labeling by exact shade names like 'turquoise' or 'magenta' unless you truly sort that way. Broad labels such as 'blues,' 'greens,' and 'warm colors' survive new pieces and new sets without needing a relabel.

Build a five-minute clean-up routine

The routine is simple: one minute to gather loose pieces from the floor and table, two minutes to sort by broad color into the bins, one minute to return tubes and instructions to their spot, and one minute to put the bins back on the shelf. A visible timer helps kids know when the job ends. The common mistake is sorting perfectly during clean-up; speed matters more than precision here, and you can fix mixed pieces during the next sort.

Keep one small open tray on the table for pieces that are still in use. This prevents half-finished builds from being dumped back into the bins and lost. If a build needs to stay out overnight, put the tray on a shelf rather than on the floor.

Color sorting steps that actually stick

1. Step 1: Pick three to five color groups: Write down your groups before you touch a single piece. Warm, cool, neutral, and specialty is a common split that works for most collections. Checkpoint: if you have more than five groups, you will not maintain the system.
2. Step 2: Set up labeled bins in a row: Place empty, labeled containers in the order you will fill them. Label the front, not the lid. Keep a small cup for pieces that do not fit a group. Common mistake: sorting into piles first and bins later, which leaves piles behind.
3. Step 3: Sort in short batches: Work for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Pour a few hundred pieces onto a tray, sort them, then take a break before the next batch. Checkpoint: stop while you still feel like finishing, not after you are tired.
4. Step 4: Keep tubes and instructions with their sets: Leave single-project tubes intact and store the instructions inside the tube or taped to the lid. Move only loose pieces into your color bins. Next step: put the tubes back on the shelf before you start the next batch.
5. Step 5: Run a five-minute clean-up at the end of each session: Gather, sort broadly, return tubes and instructions, and put bins back. Use a timer so the job has a clear end. Checkpoint: a mixed bin is fine; a floor covered in pieces is not.

Products that help with color storage

• Tube - Container Ship: The Container Ship Tube includes 70 pieces and instructions for building a container ship, with the same pieces usable for cargo ships, tugboats, harbors, cranes, and 2D or 3D creations. A tube like this can stay as a self-contained project bin, so you do not need to sort its pieces into your main color system until you are ready to mix them.
• BIG 15 pc Tube - Bunny: The BIG 15 pc Tube - Bunny is sized for little hands, with pieces that are easy to hold, connect, and pull apart, and it can build in 2D or 3D. Because the pieces are larger, a single tube is often enough storage for a toddler's whole collection, which keeps the color system simple.
• Holiday Party Bundle: The Holiday Party Bundle mixes guided builds and open-ended creativity for family celebrations, classroom parties, and holiday events. A bundle with mixed pieces benefits from a temporary sorting tray during events, then a quick return to broad color bins afterward.